Pool words · Intermediate

A shot where the object ball is deliberately bounced off a cushion before going into a pocket.

A shot in which the cue ball goes over an obstacle such as another ball. A legal jump is played by raising the cue and driving the cue ball down into the table so it rebounds. Whether a jump is legal depends on how it is done and the shooter's intent.

In nine-ball, if the break was not a foul, the shooter may announce a push out as the second shot of the rack. The wrong-ball-first and no-rail rules are suspended for it, and afterwards the other player chooses who shoots next.

A rule in some disciplines, such as eight-ball, that the shooter must name the ball and the pocket for each shot unless it is obvious. Only one ball may be called, and details such as cushions hit are not needed. A player may call a safety instead.

In eight-ball, the table is open until groups are decided. Any ball except the 8 may be hit first, and the first player to legally pocket a called ball takes that group.

In eight-ball, a player loses the rack by pocketing the 8-ball and fouling, pocketing it before their group is cleared or in an uncalled pocket, or driving it off the table. These rules do not apply on the break.

The first shot of a match, which decides who breaks. The referee places a ball on each side of the table, and the players shoot at about the same time to bring the ball back from the foot cushion closer to the head cushion than the opponent's. The winner chooses who breaks first.

When the referee sees no progress being made, each player gets three more turns, and if there is still none the referee declares a stalemate. In eight-ball and nine-ball, the original breaker of the rack then breaks again.

A player's turn at the table. It starts when the player may legally shoot and ends when the player no longer may. The player shooting is the shooter.

A ball touching a rail at the start of a shot. It is not counted as driven to that rail unless it leaves and returns.

The WPA's word for a type of pool game, such as eight-ball or nine-ball, each with its own rules.